Meet the Lazzari family. A gift certificate redeemed. You see, Aradia received a gift certificate last year for a session from her employer, Dream House Studios, as a holiday gift. A very generous and thoughtful gift for a new family.

In 2014, the Lazzari's welcomed sweet, sweet Easton. All 10 months of tender loving goodness. A boy full of so much love and curiosity with an mission to be best friends with Bella, the beloved family rescue. Thank you for welcoming me into your home during this very cold winter. I was filled with all the warmth your beautiful home and family could give.

I had the privilege of working with the author Chris Scotton last year for a book project. He needed a portrait for his upcoming novel. It was his first novel (and my first book jacket!), and being a very humble man, he wasn't as excited about this part of the project. I promised it would be painless.

His story is a very inspirational one in that he had always wanted to write a book, but made excuses along the way, as most of us do when it comes to following our dreams. As an accomplished and very successful businessman here in Annapolis, he said it would have been his biggest regret if he had not written this book. So with this determination and mindset he approached it like he would his business and set out to do it.

The novel, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth was released early this month and is receiving rave reviews across the country to include the likes of O Magazine…“Christopher Scotton's pulse-quickening debut has elements of such classics as 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Deliverance'.”

[….Wait, do you think this means that Oprah saw my photo of Chris on the book jacket?]

And finally from my sister who just finished the book..."So I finished the book- and I am hungover with the sadness of it being finished:). Truly a modern day 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'. It's not so much what the author says- but more of what he doesn't say that makes it a timeless work of art. It is ageless. I am in love with each of his characters. It has everything- love- loss- prejudice- justice- ignorance- intelligence- it just kinda settles into you.If you ever talk to the author - please give him my thanks- haven't read anything this good in a really long time."

The praise goes on and on. To read more of the reviews, click here. If you are interested in purchasing the book, click here. To book an outrageously overpriced book jacket photo, click here (as it must have been the photo that propelled this books status :). Seriously though, it has been dubbed a new american classic and I cannot wait to follow along.

In 2012, I found Instagram to be a new home for my One Day, One Photo, One Year blog posts and have never looked back. Each year I posted to my blog, I printed a coffee style book to have a tangible product that my family could look back on. My boys love to sit and see thier history unfold for those three years. I am so grateful I documented it as I have been terrible about documenting anything else, to include their baby books.

When I moved over to Instagram, I was worried I would not have the same luxury of a printed product. But that is when the folks over at Chatbooks quelched all my fears. "Beautiful photo books, Easy, Automatic" was all I needed to hear. The app prints a book for you after 60 Instagram entries and sends a beautiful 6x6 soft cover book right to your home. They keep track of it all. I do nothing except post, and pay a $6 fee for each book. Yep. $6. Oh, and shipping is free. Crazy.

Over a year ago, I updated my blog from Wordpress to Squarespace. In the process of transferring all of my work, I somehow ended up losing all of my blog entries since 2007. Since 2007. Ugh. So. Hard. To. Say. Carefully curated moments in time, both in words and images. Gone.

Although my posts were far and few between, it was a running record of my personal life as well as my professional work. I still have hope that the content still lives somewhere out in the ginormous world wide web and someone will be able to find it for me, but in the meantime I am grateful for the theme of #tbt, otherwise known as Throwback Thursday. You see, with this theme, I can bring back some of my favorite shoots from the past. They may not be my original blog posts, but at least I still have photographs stored in safe places to retrieve. Moments in time. Captured. And now valued even more knowing how easily things can be lost.

To start this series, I chose the Melendez family. They were one of the first families who hired me after moving to Maryland and I loved their free spirit…four kids, kind, energetic and happy, with awesome parents. I remember thinking I hoped to be just like their mom. She was so relaxed, attentive and fun.

The day of the shoot was the hottest day of the summer and it was back when "people piles" were my favorite pose. I am sure those kids loved me when I told them to place their sweaty hot bodies on top of each other for a picture, and as polite as ever, they obliged. Since then, my candid style has remained the same, however people piles are no longer in my bag of tricks.

The session ended with a hose and kiddie pool. Fun. Energetic. Happy. Meet the Melendez family, sometime in the summer of 2005.

I hope to continue this series throughout the year…maybe you will see a familiar face here and there…a distant memory brought back to light...I hope you can follow along. And remember, print and backup your moments.

Meet Kristine Miles. One of the first times I ever remember meeting Kristine was when she was pregnant with her youngest. Radiant and carrying so beautifully, she was always smiling and made pregnancy seem effortless. After a few more times of seeing her, I noticed how she made others around her walk a little taller. She always had something encouraging to say. She is genuine. And kind. And she surfs. In crazy places around the globe. Enjoy getting to know her. I know I have.

Q. List a few of your boys favorite things to do….

A. My boys enjoy time with their friends, playing sports and participating in the fun activities on the Severn River. They also love hanging out at home relaxing and playing many different types of games. We come up with the funniest games and laugh a lot.

Q. What is your most humbling moment as a mother…

A. When my children were born.

Q. Who influences you as a mother?

A. My mother influences me. She was the most amazing mother and person I have ever met. I can't even begin to put into words how beautiful she was in ever way.

Q. If you had more time, you would...

A. Spend more time talking with my family.

Q. Best advice you have been given as a mom...

A. You gave me the best advice Lee. You told me to take as many photos of my children as I can, especially of their hands and feet because they grow so quickly. I love that advice.

Q. How did you create balance between motherhood and career?

A. I try to go with the flow each day and not worry too much. No matter how organized I am something unexpected comes up each day that changes my best laid plan.

Q. What is your beauty routine…

A. Rest, good food, exercise, Obagi.

Q. What is your exercise routine…

A. I love many different types of exercise and decide each day what I'm in the mood for, whether it's running, paddle boarding, hiking, or lifting weights, etc. I do not like regular exercise routines. I like to change things up because I get bored easily. I like my mind to exercise just as much as my body.

Q. Something you wish you could do better as a mom….

A. Teach my children many languages and show them more of the world.

Q. What is your proudest moment as a mom…

A. My proudest moment was being on the set of Fox 45 Morning New and watching my sons do the weather forecast live with Jonathan Meyers. It was so much fun and I will never forget it. I loved every minute of it.

Q. What is your favorite part of the day…

A. Early morning before the world around me wakes.

Q. What do you like to do on date nights?

A. Our very favorite thing to do is to hang out at our house after the kids go to bed. We also enjoy going to dinner or playing sports with each other and with friends.

Q. Raising boys is....

A. Fun. They continually make me laugh and they are so gentle and lovable.

Q. Favorite designers, artists, etc….

A. I do not lock myself into favorites. My tastes continually change.

Q. Your style…

A. I buy what I love. I don't stick with one design or fashion theme.

Q. One of the hardest parts of being a mom?

A. Knowing my kids will be leaving the nest in a blink of an eye.

Q. List a few things that keep you sane….

A. Exercise, healthy eating, and reflection keep me sane, and my husband too. Also, I make it a practice to not over-commit myself or my family with too many activities.

Sometimes when I am working with little ones, I am moving in and out of light and this happens before I adjust my settings. But since my high school photography teacher encouraged me once to enter a contest on one of my "happy accidents", I am often inspired to see them again here and there in my gallery. I picture this image as an oversized large canvas, titled "The Red Dress".

Meet the Bailey family. A beautiful family both inside and out. "Mrs. Bailey" used to be my boys teacher in elementary school. We swore bluebirds flew out of her mouth when she spoke. Needless to say my boys were like putty in her hands…and still are.

Emily is a wonderful mother and I asked her if she would be willing to participate in my "That Mom" series which focuses on the mom that you aspire to be…you know the one! She is truly so dedicated to her family and it was inspiring to spend a little time with them this month. Enjoy getting to know her...

At this point, it is the moment that each of my children was born. Everything else in the world did not matter at all and I knew I would never be the same now that they were with us.

Who influenced you as a mother?

My own mother’s willingness to always put her four daughters before herself has greatly shaped me as a mother. However, I am completely surrounded by so many incredible moms. The women who influence me the most, and for whom I have endless admiration, are the mothers who spend their day keeping their family together, safe, healthy, active, happy, fed, excited, prepared, etc. They don’t care if anyone is giving them credit and they don’t expect anything in return. They do it because their love is unconditional and they would not have it any other way.

You are always so generous to the neighborhood children, who inspired you…..

I had a sweet, sweet neighbor across the street growing up who treated my sisters and I like her own grandchildren. She would keep her cabinets stocked with candy to share, invite us to help in her garden, and make us feel so special. When my mom became a grandmother, we named her Mimi after this lovely friend. But in our neighborhood, everyone is so kind and caring to one another, especially to the children running around our yards, driveways, and houses that it is definitely contagious.

Best advice you have been given as a mom…

Don’t worry about trying to make everything perfect. It’s so much more important to stop and enjoy what is going at any given moment, because time goes way too fast.

What is your favorite part of the day…

I have lots of favorites. But right now, sometimes it works out that Vera wakes up, I have my special morning time with her, and she goes back down for her first nap before Henry is even awake. Then I get him all to myself while Vera is asleep. I feel so lucky to be able to start our days slowly.

How do you create balance between motherhood and career?

Teaching part-time creates a wonderful balance for me. After Henry was born this was the deal Mike and I came up with, and it works for us! Summers off are a necessity, and always will be. And although during the school year it is hard for me to leave, even for a few hours of the day, it makes me appreciate my time at home that much more.

A few things that keep you sane….

Running, wine, and friends.

What is your beauty routine…

Hmm, I guess it’s more of a strategy – Do the best you can with the 10 minutes you have to try to look nice before leaving the house.

Something you wish you could do better as a mom…

I wish I could be more spontaneous. I am such a planner, but wish I could more easily put my to-do list aside and not worry about what isn’t getting checked off that day.

What do you like to do when you have a night out on the town?

This almost never happens, which is pretty much ok with me at this point in my life. But when we do, I love first heading to a wine bar and then off to try somewhere new and delicious for dinner. Oh and we love, love live music.

Hardest part of being a mom?

Feeling like I cannot give each of my children every ounce of my attention. Henry does a very good job now that he has to share us with Vera, but whenever he gets upset, it is almost always a result of us needing to give his sister more attention at that moment. That is hard for me.

What is your exercise routine…

I love to run. I would run everyday if I could. For now, sometimes I only get one good, long run on the weekends, but I’ll take what I can get. Running feels peaceful and productive at the same time. Two birds, one stone.

What do you hope your children will learn about life….

To always be kind and considerate of others. That a positive attitude goes a long way. To treat each day like a gift that they should enjoy to the fullest.

What is your proudest moment as a mom…

When Henry tells me he loves and that I’m his best friend, when Vera kicks her arms and legs, grinning from ear to ear when she sees me, and when I overhear Mike telling people what a good mom he thinks I am. Mike and I also feel so happy when we see Henry being playful, silly, and comfortable with other kids and adults. It makes us feel like we are doing something right.

as a parent, when you do something each year, you actually see how much your children are developing and the independence they are acquiring. the days of carrying one on your hip, while helping another, with a box of fresh picked berries so that it doesn't spill, are long gone. they run to the fields and get lost in the maze of fruit. only giggles are heard above the rows of plantings as they eat, toss and collect their fruitful earnings.

each year, i follow along with my camera to document the outing. it gets harder and harder as they are more aware of the camera. i try to be more strategic with a bigger lens so that i don't invade their preteen/teenage space. but i did have them pose at the top of the hill to get one group shot. then i tried one of my photographer tricks and asked them to run down the hill. without missing a beat, all of them, began their exaggerated runs. this is what children of a photographer looks like. mocking me along the way. awesome.

these are my thoughts. my family. and my clients. please do not use my images without my written permission. all content is copyright and owned by lkphotography unless stated otherwise. thank you for being considerate.